Three's a Crowd

11) Reputations

Two weeks have past, and the trio of friends have grown together quite nicely. Ned slowly got used to Peter having Michelle as a girlfriend and even started to pick up on some of her sarcasm. Michelle sometimes got a little frustrated that her past antics and comments don't make the two boys as nervous and timid as they used to, but it's all out of good fun. She knows that they appreciate her being herself and that's all they would want for her. Peter has been spending an even amount of time with them, individually and as a group. He knows that the only way to make things work, he would have to spend quality time with each other them in order to make the group hangouts work. And it seems to have worked, as he feels like he can do no wrong with either of them; like he's living his best life. On the flip side, his activities as Spider-Man have been moderate to say the least. Criminal activity has been minimal, which allows Peter to have so much time with his friends. He found it strange, but a good strange. He thought that it was maybe the universe giving him a break. And while that may be true now, breaks must always come to an end, as plots and agendas were already past developing and now working to be carried out.

In a waterfront warehouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the mass production of humanoid drone soldiers is underway and almost completed. A crew worked endlessly on an assembly line of machinery, bolting and welding parts and weapons to the body of each individual drone. The design of the machines looks basic, decorated in classic silver and grey to represent the Manfredi Crime Organization. They were brandished with many features including bulletproof armor for protection, hydraulic pipes for motor functions, and a precise programming system. This would allow the drones to make decisions within microseconds after detecting a threat.

To eliminate their threats, they were equipped with an array of weapons. A large blade could shoot out of the left wrist for close hand-to-hand combat. A semi-automatic handgun was installed on the inside of the forearm of the right arm, capable of expending ten rounds a second, with the capacity to hold 5,000 rounds. Encased inside the shin of the legs, a single missile could be launched if necessary. The programming system also has trained the drones to engage in combat in the most brutal way possible to incapacitate their opposition. All information and data to do so would be directed by a targeting system mounted on the side of its head. A small camera is encased inside and wired to a small computer within the head, allowing the drones to make quick and precise attacks.

In an office overlooking the production, Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi watched with weary eyes. He watched for any screw-up, and weakness that could be exposed in these things that he paid for to keep his organization from being taken by Wilson Fisk. Being an older man, he felt more of a need to worry and be cautious with his next steps, though he still feels that fire in his heart that as driven him through his career in crime. "You're sure these things will work, Allister?" he asks, meant for the man standing on the other side of the room.

The man named Allister Smythe looked up from the blueprints he was reviewing and saw his employer still staring down at the progress. "I trust that they will" he answered confidently. "I would risk my reputation on it."

A small silence fell between them until Silvermane gave a humorous chuckle. Allister looked at him with curious eyes. "Something funny, sir?"

"Reputation, huh?" the crime boss said. "What does a kid like you know about his own reputation."

"Excuse me?" Allister stood up and walked over to him, curious as to what he meant.

"Tell me, son, what do you know about Al Capone?"

Allister was confused as to why a Chicago gangster from the twenties would have anything to do with his reputation, let alone any reputation. "What does he have to do with anything?"